The Leaders Who Didn’t Get the Job
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)
Back in 2016, I wrote about the disappointment of applying for a leadership role you really wanted and not being appointed. You saw the advert, prayed about it and perhaps felt a real sense that God was encouraging you to apply. You took the risk and began to imagine yourself serving that community. Then came the email or phone call you hadn’t wanted to receive: you hadn’t been shortlisted, or you had reached interview only to hear that someone else had got the job.
At Emmaus, we spend a great deal of time encouraging people to recognise the gifts God has given them and consider where they might be most effective. Sometimes that means looking beyond what feels safe and comfortable. But when we encourage someone to take that step, we also need to be there if things don’t work out as they had hoped.
What has changed over those ten years is that I have stayed in touch with many of those leaders and seen what happened next. Some applied again and were appointed. Others found themselves serving a school, trust or diocese they hadn’t originally considered, in roles that made good use of their experience and gifts.
Along the way, there were periods of uncertainty, difficult feedback and questions about whether they wanted to risk another disappointment. None of us knew then how things would unfold. That longer view has given me much to be hopeful about - but I wouldn’t want to rush anyone towards hope before acknowledging how much rejection can hurt.
When you have prayed carefully about a role, the disappointment can reach beyond your professional confidence. You may find yourself asking, How did I get it so wrong? Having felt encouraged to step forward, it is understandable to wonder what the outcome says about your judgement and your calling.
I don’t believe an unsuccessful application settles either question. Recruitment panels are human too. They make the best judgement they can about the candidates before them and the particular needs of their community, but they don’t always get it right. There may be useful things to learn from their decision, but it cannot tell the whole story of what you have to offer. Nor does it mean you were wrong to respond. Applying may have helped you acknowledge gifts you had previously dismissed, or take seriously something others had been encouraging you to consider.
In the original piece, I suggested beginning by getting alone and getting honest with God. I would still begin there. We don’t need to find religious words for a disappointment He already knows we are carrying. If we are hurt or confused, we can say so. The Psalms give us plenty of examples of people bringing their unanswered questions to Him.
Returning to Scripture also helps us remember God’s faithfulness when our circumstances are difficult to understand. It may not explain why we didn’t get the job, but it reminds us that we remain known and loved by Him. Our confidence needs that deeper foundation, particularly when an experience has left us questioning ourselves.
I also wrote about offering God a “sacrifice of praise”. Giving thanks while disappointed can be difficult, but we can still thank Him for His goodness, the people around us and the work already entrusted to us. We can do that while being honest about what we had hoped would happen.
Those people around us matter. A trusted friend or colleague can help us hear difficult feedback without turning it into a judgement on everything we are. Perhaps we need more experience or better preparation. That gives us something to work on; it doesn’t mean our gifts have disappeared.
My concern is when disappointment persuades a capable leader never to put themselves forward again. There may be good reasons to pause or remain where you are. But it is worth asking whether that decision reflects careful discernment or the understandable fear of being hurt again.
I cannot promise that a better job is waiting. What ten years of these conversations have shown me is how much can still happen after the moment someone thinks their opportunity has passed. If that is where you are now, give yourself time, seek honest encouragement and remain open to what God may yet ask of you.
I ended the original piece with words I still believe:
We sometimes have to learn to live without our answers. We cannot live without our Christ.
If it would help to talk about a recent disappointment or whether to consider applying again, we would be very glad to hear from you.
About Liam Dowds
Liam Dowds is the Managing Director of Emmaus Leadership and has spent over two decades working alongside school leaders, governors and dioceses in Catholic, Church of England and wider Christian education. He has supported leaders at every stage of their professional journey, from those considering their first headship to those stepping into the most senior roles in faith education nationally. He is known for the depth of his relationships with the leaders he works with, and for the care and discretion he brings to every conversation.
📞 01737 652 043
About Emmaus Leadership
Emmaus Leadership is a specialist senior leadership recruitment consultancy working exclusively within Catholic, Church of England and wider Christian education. We support dioceses, trusts and schools in finding leaders who are not only professionally exceptional but vocationally suited to the distinctive character of faith education. Every search we undertake is shaped by a deep understanding of the sector and a genuine commitment to the communities we serve.